The Cost of Senior Care in America (2026)
ElderCareCosts publishes senior care cost ranges by care type, state, and city. Sourced from published government and industry data, with a public methodology and downloadable data for every page. National figures below reflect currently published estimates. Memory care uses a modeled premium band over assisted living. CCRC pages explain contracts instead of inventing local medians.
Cost by care type
How we calculate these numbers
Every figure starts from a published state or metro median (cited on its page), adjusted for local cost of living and wage data, and reported as a 25th–75th percentile range rather than a single misleadingly precise number. We show our sources on every page and never publish an estimate we can't trace back to real data. Read the full cost methodology.
Source: Published state/metro cost surveys + BLS wage data (per-page citations) · Updated 2026Family tools
Frequently asked questions
Where does ElderCareCosts get its cost data?
We start from published state and metro cost medians (cited on each page) and adjust for local cost-of-living and wage data. Every page links its specific sources and states its methodology version.
Why do some states or cities show 'not yet available'?
We only publish a figure once we have real, sourced data behind it. Coverage is expanding state by state and city by city. An honestly missing number beats a guessed one.
Can I download the underlying data?
Yes. Download the complete index at /cost-of-care/2026-index/csv/. Every care-type, state, and city cost page also has a CSV download link.